I Became the Academy’s Heroine Stalker – Chapter 83

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Tae-jin was lying in his hospital bed.

Renia and Na-yeon sat on either side of him, watching with concern.

The doctor had said he’d fainted from a temporary shock and that there was no need to worry, but Renia’s face was etched with anxiety.

Tae-jin has been fainting frequently lately.

‘It must be because he hasn’t recovered from the shock of his father’s passing…’

Renia stroked Tae-jin’s hair, her gaze filled with tenderness that went beyond a purely professional relationship.

Na-yeon watched Renia and asked,

“…Reina? May I ask you something?”

“Yes.”

“How long have you known Tae-jin?”

“Excuse me?”

“Well… It seems like your relationship goes beyond that of a bodyguard and employer.”

“Ah.”

Renia stopped stroking Tae-jin’s hair and sat up straight.

Then, as they had rehearsed(?), she explained to Na-yeon.

It was a practiced lie, one that had even fooled the 52-time regressor.

“There used to be a special escort agency called [Red Express], specializing in secure transportation. Tae-jin visited them looking to hire a personal bodyguard, and they assigned me to him. The agency was struggling financially at the time, and I was about to be laid off, but Tae-jin saved me. I’ve been working for him ever since.”

She laid the groundwork with “There used to be,” preventing any further inquiries, and continued her explanation.

The special escort agency was a real place.

In a world with medieval-style settlements and walled cities, hiring an escort for travel between cities was common practice.

“So, you haven’t known each other for long? Since Tae-jin hired you recently.”

“That’s right. But why do you ask?”

Renia asked, a hint of wariness in her voice.

“Oh… No particular reason. You just seem quite close.”

At Na-yeon’s blunt “seem quite close,” Renia couldn’t help but smile as she looked at Tae-jin.

Her eyes held one of the three things they said you could never hide in life: affection.

“Of course, we’re close. Very close.”

Renia murmured, a hint of pride in her voice.

However, she stopped short of adding, “We’ve even kissed.”

Tae-jin would have scolded her if she had.

Na-yeon followed Renia’s gaze and looked at Tae-jin.

“…Is that so? But isn’t it a basic rule for bodyguards to avoid personal attachments with their clients? That’s what I’ve always heard.”

Na-yeon’s sharp question pierced through the air.

Renia’s brow furrowed slightly at the question, but she answered calmly.

This was nothing a thousand-year-old Succubus Queen couldn’t handle.

“Sometimes, a personal connection can be beneficial to the job. And it’s not like I’m on a short-term contract.”

Renia countered skillfully.

Na-yeon backed down slightly.

“Ah… I suppose that’s true. Anyway, thank you for working for Tae-jin.”

“It’s my pleasure. Really.”

Renia’s words, laced with hidden meaning, hung in the air, creating a wall of silence between them.

“….”

“….”

An awkward silence fell, and they both stared at Tae-jin without speaking.

After about a minute,

Na-yeon broke the silence.

“Um, by any chance…”

She started cautiously.

Renia looked at Na-yeon with a flicker of tension in her eyes.

This was the first time anyone had probed so deeply into her relationship with Tae-jin.

“Yes?”

“Please don’t misunderstand. I’m just… curious.”

“Ask away.”

“By any chance…”

Na-yeon licked her lips, hesitating.

It was a sensitive question, and she was being careful.

But she felt an inexplicable urge to ask.

So,

“…Are you two… dating?”

She finally voiced her question, sending the carefully crafted words towards Renia.

And Renia, upon receiving those words, instinctively clutched Tae-jin’s sleeve.

“W-why do you ask?”

“Just curious. You don’t have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“It’s not that I’m uncomfortable, but I don’t see why I should answer.”

“…That’s a shame.”

“Why is it a shame?”

“Well, as his master, it would put my mind at ease to know that my student has a strong and reliable partner like you.”

“Oh, I appreciate the compliment. I’ll keep that in mind. Hehe.”

“…So, in other words, you are interested in Tae-jin.”

“Not exactly. I’m just grateful for the compliment.”

“….”

“….”

Like two seasoned negotiators, Na-yeon and Renia exchanged veiled barbs like snakes.

Neither of them really knew why they had suddenly fallen into this interrogation-like back-and-forth.

It was a battle of instincts and intuition.

But what they should have known was that…

‘Ugh…hmm’

Tae-jin had regained consciousness before their little sparring match had begun.

‘Is it… okay to wake up now…?’

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‘Hmm…’

I’d been awake for about five minutes.

I had definitely let out a groan, the standard sound effect for waking up, but Renia and Master had continued their argument as if they hadn’t heard a thing.

They probably didn’t.

It was chilling enough just lying here listening to their exchange.

Anyway, there was a lull in their conversation, and I waited for the right moment to make my presence known.

‘Speaking of which…’

Master’s words definitely sounded like a challenge(?).

That must have been why Renia reacted so defensively.

Did she already believe I was Elroden?

‘Well, she must have suspected something to show me that armor in the first place.’

She probably sensed the same mana signature in me as in Elroden.

As I’d heard in the flashback, they used the same mana as Earth on that other planet, and mana signatures rarely changed.

Anyway,

‘Hmm…’

If Park Na-yeon was convinced I was Elroden, things could get awkward.

Like right now.

Caught between two women, I felt like a shrimp caught in a whale fight.

But the flashback must have had a purpose.

I had a rough idea of what that purpose was, and I couldn’t just ignore it.

It would be wrong, both morally and ethically.

So,

‘I should probably wake up now.’

Just as I was about to sit up,

“Um, Professor?”

Renia called out to Park Na-yeon, breaking the silence, and I missed my chance again.

“Yes?”

“May I ask you something as well?”

“Of course.”

I couldn’t see their faces, so I had to rely on their voices.

Fortunately, Renia’s voice didn’t sound hostile.

“Tae-jin seemed to faint after seeing the statue you pointed out. Do you know why?”

However, her seemingly harmless question was laced with a sharp edge.

It wasn’t a question based on suspicion, but on conviction.

“….”

Park Na-yeon was silent for a moment.

She couldn’t talk about Elroden and Raphia yet.

It would sound too far-fetched without confirmation from me.

Renia pressed on.

“You definitely said something like, ‘Does this remind you of anything?’ to Tae-jin. Do you mind telling me what you meant by that?”

A different question, yet the same question at its core.

As expected of a thousand-year-old Succubus Queen, she was a skilled interrogator, circling back to the core issue under the guise of a different question.

“Ah… It was something I used to wear. I was wondering if Tae-jin recognized it.”

“You used to wear it? The armor and weapon looked at least a hundred years old.”

“That’s proof I’ve lived a hard life.”

“….”

But Park Na-yeon wasn’t easily intimidated.

She had survived the power plays of countless large guilds; her social skills were honed to perfection.

“So, you don’t know why he fainted?”

“Well… Wouldn’t Tae-jin know best?”

A smooth deflection in response to a difficult question.

It was like watching a duel between a spear that could pierce anything and a shield that could block anything.

But even the strongest spear and shield would eventually crack under constant pressure.

It was time to end this contest.

“Ugh…”

I let out a loud groan and furrowed my brows.

Both women pushed back their chairs and stood up.

“T-Tae-jin! Are you awake?!”

“…!”

I opened my eyes slightly.

And as if just regaining consciousness, I looked around groggily.

“I… fainted again…”

I mumbled, looking up at the ceiling, then sat up.

Renia helped me.

I glanced at Park Na-yeon.

She had her hand over her mouth, her fist clenched, looking anxious.

I needed to reassure Renia first.

“Are you okay? Did you hit your head? It sounded like a hard fall…!”

“I’m fine. It must be because of yesterday’s shock.”

“Maybe we should postpone our trip to Taebaek…!”

“No.”

I answered firmly and gently took Renia’s hand in my left hand.

She would understand, without me having to say anything.

“T-Tae-jin…”

What I was about to do was the right thing to do, both morally and ethically.

It was also my duty as the transmigrator.

Even in a fictional world, inhabiting someone else’s body meant taking over their mind.

Whether intentional or not, it was the truth, and I had a responsibility to the original owner of this body.

Especially if…

‘If the original Han Tae-jin wanted me to see that flashback…’

And I didn’t want to lie to Renia to fulfill that responsibility.

So, I tightened my grip on her hand.

If what I was about to do was my duty as a transmigrator, then holding her hand like this was my duty as a man.

So, I gave Renia a reassuring smile and turned to Park Na-yeon.

Her red eyes met mine, trembling with anxiety.

They were already glistening with unshed tears.

Even if she had forgotten, her instincts and intuition must be telling her.

That the person she had been desperately searching for, the one she had longed for so deeply, was right here.

“…I remember.”

I didn’t know if the flashback was real.

It might have been a fleeting dream, impossible to verify, impossible to recall again.

But illusions were only illusions until you touched them, until you experienced them firsthand.

And more than anything,

This was my way of atoning for my past mistakes.

For judging the original Han Tae-jin, for calling him a weak, pathetic, sickly character.

Park Na-yeon covered her mouth with both hands and her body trembled.

That trembling revealed the depth of her longing for Elroden.

To see those usually sharp, haughty red eyes filled with such vulnerability… It was a level of affection I, as an outsider, could barely comprehend.

But I wouldn’t give up on trying to understand, not this time.

Just as the original Han Tae-jin had given me a chance to experience this amazing world,

It was my turn to help him, to reunite him with the woman he loved.

It was my apology for taking over his life, and my small hope that Park Na-yeon’s regret might be alleviated, even if just a little.

“I’m sorry I kept you waiting.”

So, I called her name.

“Raphia.”

At that simple, familiar name, Park Na-yeon finally collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

It was the reunion of Elroden and Raphia.

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